Thunderhawk
The Thunderhawk gunship is used by the Adeptus Astartes as their primary means of deploying forces during combat as well as their primary source of air support. The Thunderhawk gunship is often considered the lynchpin of any Space Marine Chapter, as it is able to fulfill many combat roles. The Thunderhawk is fully capable of functioning as an orbital drop ship, a heavy ground attack gunship, or as a bomber. The aircraft is able to quickly carry Space Marine forces from orbiting starships down into the midst of a battle, while at the same time providing supporting fire against enemy ground or air targets. Even though the Thunderhawk is a large vehicle, it is controlled with a relatively small crew, which includes the pilot, co-pilot, gunner, and navigator. 'Construction' Armament The Thunderhawk gunship is capable of carrying a fearsome array of weaponry depending on which type of mission it has been tasked for and is able to undertake a wide array of battlefield roles. The basic armament of the Thunderhawk gunship is that of 4 twin-linked Heavy Bolters located near the front of the craft's fuselage and under the aircraft's main wings, 2 Lascannons located under the wings, and a dorsal-mounted Battle Cannon known as a Thunderhawk Cannon. The aircraft can also be outfitted with up to 6 Hellstrike Missiles, and 6 triple bomb pylons, for a total of 18 bombs. The aircraft can replace its dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon with a Turbo-Laser Destructor for extra firepower. The craft is also capable of carrying large guided bombs with various warheads, which are used during bombing missions. The Thunderhawk can also be outfitted with an armoured cockpit and illumination flares. During the later decades of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia, the Thunderhawk Gunship could also be outfitted with a Flare Shield. Flare Shields were similar to present-day Imperial Void Shield technology, but were effective on a smaller scale. It is unknown if this technology is still in use in parts of the Imperium in the late 41st Millennium or if it has been lost over the millennia like so much else from that era. During these ancient times it was also common practise to equip Thunderhawks with an additional layer of ceramite plating, for added protection against enemy fire. The Thunderhawk's weapon systems are able to be swapped out to better suit whatever combat role it has been given. The basic armament of the Thunderhawk (as described above) is usually used for standard Astartes troop insertion missions. There are several other standard mission load-out packages the Thunderhawk can be outfitted with, including the following: 'Troop Insertion Mission' 1 dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon, or Turbo-Laser Destructor 2 wing-mounted Lascannons 2 front fuselage-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 2 wing-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 'Close Air Support Mission' 1 dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon, or Turbo-Laser Destructor 2 wing-mounted Lascannons 2 front fuselage-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 2 wing-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 6 wing-mounted Hellstrike Missiles 'Saturation Bombing Mission' 1 dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon, or Turbo-Laser Destructor 2 wing-mounted Lascannons 2 front fuselage-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 2 wing-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 18 wing-mounted bombs, including several incendiary bombs 'Long-Range Bombing Mission' 1 dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon, or Turbo-Laser Destructor 2 wing-mounted Lascannons 2 front fuselage-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 2 wing-mounted external auxiliary fuel tanks 4 wing-mounted large guided bombs, delayed fuse 2 wing-mounted large guided bombs, Melta warheads 'Naval Intercept Mission' 1 dorsal-mounted Thunderhawk Cannon, or Turbo-Laser Destructor 2 wing-mounted Lascannons 2 front fuselage-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters 6 wing-mounted large guided bombs, Plasma warheads 2 wing-mounted large guided bombs, Melta warheads Variants The Thunderhawk gunship has a small number of known variants: 'Thunderhawk Transporter ' ''' ''' The Thunderhawk Transporter is a logistical support variant of the Thunderhawk. The Thunderhawk Transporter is used to quickly transport a Chapter's vehicles from their orbiting Battle Barges or Strike Cruisers to a planet's surface. The Thunderhawk Transporter is not designed for battle and is only armed with two sets of wing-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters for self-defense. The Thunderhawk Transporter is similar in appearance to the standard Thunderhawk with the exception of the missing dorsal-mounted heavy weapon and the addition of an extra engine mount. Additionally, the aircraft's 4 engines are mounted on its wings as opposed to having one mounted on the rear fuselage. The aircraft's troop compartment is removed and replaced with a set of large magnetic clamps to hold on to its cargo of vehicles. The Thunderhawk Transporter is capable of carrying up to two Rhino-sized vehicles or a single Land Raider-sized vehicle. The aircraft also sports a powerful winch which allows it to recover Drop Pods from the field. Construction